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Hunter Biden’s ex-lawyer ordered to pay $50K to former Trump aide after harassment claims crumble
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FIRST ON FOX: The Superior Court of California is ordering Kevin Morris, an attorney notoriously dubbed as Hunter Biden’s «sugar brother,» to pay $50,000 to former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler and Marco Polo, the conservative nonprofit research group he founded, to cover legal expenses.
The ruling ends a protracted dispute over whether Ziegler impersonated a Democratic strategist to pry sensitive information out of Morris about the Hunter Biden laptop during a conversation over the phone in 2022.
To Jennifer Holliday, Ziegler’s attorney, the judgment doesn’t even begin to make up for three years of legal battles.
«It’s not really how I envisioned it would play out, and I don’t think that’s how the Constitution envisions that something like this would play out — which is why we filed a petition with the Supreme Court of the United States to review,» Holliday told Fox News Digital.
FLASHBACK: SWALWELL WAS DUBBED HUNTER BIDEN’S ‘BIGGEST CHEERLEADER’
Entertainment lawyer Kevin Morris arrives to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on Jun. 06, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware amid the trial for Hunter Biden’s felony gun charges. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«I certainly hope that they will take a really hard look at what happened here because this is not a situation that should have ever happened,» she added.
Holliday is asking the Supreme Court to evaluate California’s anti-SLAPP law, arguing the state’s protections for free speech actually only worsened the case by prolonging what she believes were weak accusations.
A person familiar with Morris’ case called the conclusion a formality and downplayed the Supreme Court filing as unlikely to receive a review, noting that Ziegler’s representation had requested as much as $300,000 to conclude the case.
Morris’s legal battle with Ziegler began when Morris picked up the phone and spoke with someone whom he thought was a Democratic operative about the laptop back in 2022. But when, after the call, he received an image depicting a squid, the phrase «NOTHING IS BEYOND OUR REACH,» and the words «Marco Polo,» Morris realized his mistake.
Morris, who reportedly loaned Hunter Biden approximately $6.5 million to bankroll his lavish lifestyle, concluded the caller must have been Ziegler, a Republican strategist who had worked on combing through the contents of the laptop and who had gone on to found Marco Polo. He also previously worked in the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy as a policy analyst.
TRUMP HOPES TO KEEP WINNING WHEN HE TAKES ABC NEWS, CBS NEWS TO COURT OVER ALLEGED ‘DISHONEST REPORTING’
Morris accused Ziegler of harassment, criminal harassment, criminal impersonation, false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The case soon soured for Morris when he failed to establish a connection between his phone call and Ziegler.
With the suit in the rearview mirror, Holliday marveled that Morris had kept up his case for three years without ever offering evidence that the call had been linked to Ziegler.
«There was no phone number that was ever presented to the court, to the Court of Appeal, to me, in discovery, anywhere,» Holliday said.
Asked about whom the caller might have been, Holliday said she was not at liberty to discuss the issue.
Asked about the case, Ziegler said Morris was an enabler of Hunter Biden who had knowingly brought a weak case against him.
«Morris is the one responsible for all the bull—- that Hunter pulled over the last couple years,» Ziegler said, referring to funding Morris reportedly gave the younger Biden for his legal services, including paying his rent, buying his art and lending him a private jet, among other payments.
Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that Morris donated $29,900 to now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., gubernatorial campaign weeks before the campaign collapsed after several sexual assault allegations emerged.
Swalwell, who was dubbed as Hunter Biden’s «biggest cheerleader» in the House, met Morris multiple times during the House Oversight Committee investigations into Hunter’s business dealings.
ABC NEWS WAS WISE TO SETTLE DEFAMATION SUIT WITH TRUMP TO AVOID ‘EMBARRASSING’ DISCOVERY, LEGAL EXPERTS SAY
Garrett Ziegler, author of the Report on the Biden Laptop, is photographed outside the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Del., on Sept. 7, 2023. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
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Ziegler’s representation has secured a debtor’s exam request for Morris if he hasn’t paid the $50,000 sum ordered by the court within 30 days.
Fox News Digital reached out to Morris’s attorney.
hunter biden, in court, appeals, investigations, hunter biden investigation explained
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Nicaragua’s parliament plans to eliminate elections to codify President Ortega’s declaration
Sen. Ron Johnson: Election integrity should be a nonpartisan issue
Sen. Ron Johnson responds to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill’s admission of 6,600 non-citizens improperly registered to vote due to a software error, with 400 actually voting. Johnson, from Wisconsin, stresses that election integrity, including voter ID and cleaning voter rolls, should be a non-partisan issue to restore public confidence in U.S. elections.
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Nicaragua’s lawmakers announced plans to abolish elections in the Central American country, following through on President Daniel Ortega’s declaration over the weekend that there would be no more elections, which enraged the international community.
The move was revealed on Tuesday by Nicaragua’s congress, which is firmly in the hands of Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo. Lawmakers said planned constitutional overhaul will ensure Nicaragua’s «peace, security and stability.»
With the announcement, lawmakers are making good on Ortega’s promise of no more elections, further closing off any potential path for the opposition to challenge the government he leads with Murillo, whom constitutional reforms elevated from vice president to «co-president.»
«There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power,» Ortega said on Sunday during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution, in which Ortega participated in the overthrow of the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.
NICARAGUA’S ORTEGA SAYS COUNTRY WILL ‘NEVER AGAIN’ HOLD ELECTIONS, SHUTTING OUT OPPOSITION
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega said officials in the Central American country will no longer hold elections. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
«The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over — never again,» he declared.
The declaration appeared to eliminate the possibility of a future electoral challenge as Ortega and Murillo continue consolidating control over the country’s political institutions.
Ortega and Murillo expanded their authority through sweeping constitutional changes that took effect in 2025. The reforms included extending the presidential term from five years to six and placing the legislative, judicial and electoral institutions under the authority of the presidency.
The pair now exercise control over nearly every branch of government, including the armed forces, police and judiciary.
Ortega, Nicaragua’s longest-serving leader, has remained in power until early 2028, although his statement on Sunday effectively canceled Nicaragua’s next elections, which had been scheduled for November 2027.
Critics say Ortega had already effectively eliminated meaningful electoral competition during elections in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
REPUBLICAN REP MARÍA ELVIRA SALAZAR DECLARES, ‘AFTER CUBA, NICARAGUA IS NEXT’
President Daniel Ortega’s promise to abolish elections prompted widespread condemnation from the international community. (Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg)
Many prominent opposition leaders have been imprisoned, forced into exile or stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship, while opposition parties and independent civic organizations have lost their legal status.
A United Nations group of experts has accused the Ortega-Murillo government of systematically violating human rights as part of a campaign to eliminate criticism and preserve its hold on power. The experts said some alleged violations may amount to crimes against humanity.
The government launched a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018. More than 300 people were killed during the unrest, according to international human rights groups.
Ortega’s effort to abolish elections prompted widespread condemnation from foreign governments, including the U.S.
«Daniel Ortega’s declaration that under his family’s dictatorship, Nicaragua will never again hold elections lays bare their true authoritarian nature. Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have abandoned even the pretense of popular consent,» U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.
«The Nicaraguan people have the right to choose their own leaders through democratic elections. The United States calls on the international community to join forces to demonstrate to the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship that it cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere,» he added.
The move to abolish elections was announced by Nicaragua’s congress, which is firmly in the hands of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo. (INTI OCON/AFP)
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The Trump administration has described the Ortega-Murillo government as a dictatorship and imposed sanctions on members of the government and their allies. The State Department has also enacted visa restrictions targeting more than 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their family members.
Volker Türk, the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, denounced Nicaragua’s legislative ambitions on Wednesday, saying that «people of all political viewpoints must be allowed to vote and run for office.»
«These latest developments further deepen the severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, the dismantling of civic space, and the steady erosion of the rule of law,» Türk said in a statement.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
central america, latin america, elections, world, politics
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Ministra de Educación en Honduras descarta denuncias de extorsión en escuelas y colegios públicos
La titular de la Secretaría de Educación, Arely Argueta, afirmó que hasta el momento no se han recibido denuncias de extorsión contra docentes, escuelas o colegios del sistema público de Honduras.
No obstante, reconoció que los reportes surgidos en instituciones privadas también generan preocupación para las autoridades educativas.
“En el sistema público no hemos tenido denuncias de extorsión para docentes; sin embargo, los casos en el sector privado también nos preocupan, porque nuestro deber es velar por todos los maestros a nivel nacional”, expresó la funcionaria.
Las declaraciones de Argueta se produjeron luego de que la Federación Nacional de Instituciones Educativas Privadas de Honduras (Fenieph) denunciara que algunos colegios han cerrado sus puertas o cambiado de ubicación debido a amenazas y cobros ilegales atribuidos a estructuras criminales.
Ante el contexto de inseguridad, la ministra informó que la Secretaría de Educación mantiene coordinación con la Secretaría de Seguridad para reforzar los patrullajes policiales en los alrededores de escuelas y colegios.
Argueta pidió a padres de familia, estudiantes y docentes no alarmarse al observar presencia policial cerca de los centros educativos, ya que se trata de medidas preventivas orientadas a fortalecer la seguridad en las comunidades escolares.
También subrayó que la denuncia ciudadana es clave para atender cualquier situación irregular, incluyendo casos de narcomenudeo o amenazas contra miembros de la comunidad educativa.
“Si tenemos denuncias, las vamos a atender directamente desde el centro educativo afectado”, aseguró.
El presidente de la Fenieph, Carlos Sabillón, sostuvo que la extorsión afecta desde hace varios años a instituciones privadas, principalmente en Tegucigalpa y San Pedro Sula.
Según explicó, algunos colegios cerraron operaciones como consecuencia de las amenazas, mientras otros, especialmente aquellos que funcionan en locales alquilados, se trasladaron a diferentes barrios o colonias para intentar reducir el riesgo.
Sabillón indicó que las llamadas extorsivas se han convertido en una de las principales formas de intimidación. Por esa razón, algunos centros educativos decidieron cancelar sus líneas telefónicas fijas.
El dirigente advirtió que este delito, históricamente relacionado con el transporte público, pequeños negocios y comerciantes, se ha extendido hacia el sector educativo y pone en riesgo la estabilidad financiera de las instituciones privadas.
Aunque Educación descarta reportes en el sistema público, Argueta insistió en que cualquier denuncia será atendida en coordinación con las autoridades de Seguridad.
Por su parte, Sabillón pidió fortalecer las acciones contra las estructuras criminales y evitar que más colegios tengan que cerrar o abandonar las comunidades donde prestan sus servicios.
La situación evidencia una diferencia entre ambos sectores: mientras las autoridades no registran denuncias en escuelas públicas, los representantes de la educación privada aseguran que la extorsión ya provocó cierres, traslados y medidas internas de protección.
El contraste también ha llevado a las autoridades a reforzar la vigilancia preventiva y a solicitar que cualquier amenaza sea comunicada de inmediato.
Educación sostiene que la ausencia de denuncias formales no elimina la necesidad de mantener controles, mientras la Fenieph reclama una respuesta más contundente para proteger a estudiantes, docentes, propietarios y trabajadores de los centros afectados.
Corresponsal:Desde Tegucigalpa, Honduras
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Trump gives emotional tribute to fallen Army Lt Tyler Feehan after flying grieving family on Air Force One
Trump honors fallen soldier after flying grieving family on Air Force One
President Donald Trump paid tribute to Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan during remarks at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, revealing he flew the fallen soldier’s family aboard Air Force One, and they were in the crowd for Wednesday’s speech at Dover Air Force Base after a dignified transfer ceremony.
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President Donald Trump paid an emotional tribute to fallen Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan during an event Wednesday at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, revealing he invited the slain soldier’s grieving family aboard Air Force One.
The family was in the crowd after Trump met with them earlier in the day at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Trump traveled to Georgia after attending the dignified transfer ceremony of four U.S. service members killed in Jordan, including Feehan, and the president met Feehan’s parents, Shari and Stephen, and his uncle David.
Speaking to the crowd, Trump recounted learning the family was also headed to Georgia after the ceremony.
TRUMP TAKES INAUGURAL FLIGHT ABOARD NEW AIR FORCE ONE AHEAD OF LIBRARY DEBUT HONORING FAMED OUTDOORSMAN
Shari and Stephen Feehan react as President Donald Trump honors their son, Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, during remarks Wednesday at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
«I said, ‘If you want, I’ll give you a ride on Air Force One,’» Trump told the audience. «Today they were on Air Force One, and it’s quite nice, I must say.»
Trump said the family was «heartbroken» but grateful for the gesture.
«They couldn’t believe it,» he said. «They live minutes away. We’re here today.»
ARMY IDS 2 VICTIMS KILLED IN JORDAN AIR BASE ATTACK; TRUMP: IRAN WILL PAY ‘MANY TIMES OVER’
President Donald Trump salutes the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, Wednesday, during a dignified transfer for U.S. service members killed during operations in the Middle East, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, was among four U.S. service members killed in Jordan while supporting a U.S. mission. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was also among those killed. U.S. Central Command announced the deaths Saturday.
Trump said he reviews biographies of fallen service members before each dignified transfer and described Feehan as an exceptional young officer with a promising future.
DEMOCRATIC MARYLAND GOV WES MOORE PRAISES TRUMP ACCOUNTS AS ‘SMART POLICY’
The family of Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan departs Air Force One with President Donald Trump at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga., on Wednesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«Lieutenant Tyler Feehan … he was a person that was going all the way,» Trump said. «He was going to be a general. He would have been a general very quickly. He was heading in that path.»
Trump then thanked Feehan’s family, whom he said he got to know during the flight from Dover to Georgia aboard Air Force One.
«But I just want to thank Tyler’s mother, Shari; his father, Stephen; and his uncle David. Great people. I got to know them a little bit on the plane and standing there and watching this site,» he said.
The first victims of restarted hostilities were identified as Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. (U.S. Army)
Calling dignified transfers the most difficult responsibility of the presidency, Trump said he would never forget the family.
«I think it’s the toughest thing I do,» Trump said. «But to Shari and Stephen and David, we will carry Tyler’s memory in our hearts forever. I just want to thank you. It’s an honor to have you here today.»
The audience responded with sustained applause before Trump addressed Feehan’s mother directly.
Family members of fallen Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan react as President Donald Trump talks about their son at Wheeler High School Wednesday in Marietta, Ga. (Fox News Channel)
«Shari, he’s looking down right here,» Trump said. «He’s so proud right now.»
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Trump visited Georgia on Wednesday to tout his administration’s Trump Accounts initiative, saying the program would help families build long-term savings for their children as part of what he described as America’s «Golden Age.»
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